Top 25 D/ST rankings for Week 12 fantasy football

Defenses change throughout the season, and sometimes we miss out on a team getting better or worse before it’s too late. Below are a few thoughts from last week’s games.

The Falcons went off on Kyle Allen, and that was after punching the Saints in the mouth the week before. The changes they’ve made defensively seem to be paying off, and we might need to adjust how we see their defense moving forward.

Taking on Jameis Winston again yielded high fantasy points, as the Saints were the latest team to take the turnovers he gave away.

The Ravens are back to full health in their secondary, and that has been a significant difference in their play of late. They’re near must-start status now.

The Patriots aren’t putting up their 20 fantasy points a game but are still playing extremely well. They’re likely the MVP of your team if you were savvy enough to grab them in your draft.

The Panther started strong this season, but have hit the skids of late. They’re no longer a strong play, especially with Kyle Allen regressing and giving teams short fields.

Bye Weeks

Arizona Cardinals, Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Chargers, Minnesota Vikings

D/ST Ranking Tiers

Tier 1

We have a reasonably stout Tier 1 this week, with the Ravens taking on the shell of Jared Goff, the Steelers matching up with rookie Ryan Finley, and the Saints facing Kyle Allen and his merry band of receivers. These are all strong defense facing weak quarterbacks.

Tier 2

I’m going to try to not go overboard on the Falcons D/ST, but after two strong performances, they face Jameis Winston and his continuous threat of giving the ball to the other team.

The Bears host the fumbling machine Daniel Jones, and the Myles Garrett-less Browns welcome Ryan Fitzpatrick to the Dawg Pound. Both have upside this week.

The Patriots get their second-toughest test of the season with the Cowboys in Foxboro. Playing at home helps, but the Cowboys allow the fewest sacks in the league and are playing well offensively.

D/ST Streamers

The Falcons are my favorite streamer this week. The Giants, Lions, and Bengals have some streamer appeal, but they are all risky.